Family

Sadie, a dachshund, snuggles with her owner, Bernadette Slesinski-Evans, who has ovarian cancer, during a visit at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Rush is believed to be the first Chicago-area hospital to allow visits from pets in patients' rooms. (Keri Wiginton/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Anyone who has felt a connection with a pet understands why Bernadette Slesinski-Evans needed her faithful dachshund with her in the hospital.

But for seriously ill patients such as Slesinski-Evans, a request to spend a few precious hours with a beloved animal usually has been rejected, with administrators citing reasons that ranged from risk of infection to liability issues.

That all changed this month when Sadie scampered onto the lap of her 57-year-old owner, and Rush University Medical Center became what is believed to be the first Chicago-area hospital to adopt a formal policy allowing visits from pets in patients' rooms.

"It just gives me a little piece of home," said the Oak Lawn resident with ovarian cancer, smothering Sadie with kisses. The canine reciprocated, unperturbed by the oxygen tube attached to her master. "It's just wonderful to have someone to hug . and help me deal with things."

The new policy was approved in December after three years of study and debate about cleanliness, cost and logistics. Ultimately, Rush decided that the emotional charge a patient gets from time with his or her own pet outweighed the risks. So officials moved forward, joining about a dozen other hospitals nationwide with similar regulations, they said.

After numerous requests, Rush launched a task force to study the pet policy in 2010. Slesinski-Evans was the first to take advantage of the change, and Sadie became the pioneer pooch, arriving fresh from the groomer with a Valentine's Day kerchief.

At the outset, Diane Gallagher, Rush's associate vice president of nursing operations and an unabashed advocate, told her task force colleagues: "For those of you who are dog lovers, this will be a piece of cake. The rest of you will just have to trust me."

In the past, health care professionals usually had no choice but to deny a plea from a patient to nuzzle a beloved pet. Sometimes, clinicians would look the other way while a relative would sneak Fido or Snowball up a back elevator — usually at night or on the weekend. A few area hospitals allow visits from pets in the lobby or restricted areas, but until now, none formally allowed them into patient rooms.

Once, the staff at Rush went to elaborate lengths to bring a patient's dog to the roof, hoping to give the owner one last look from his bedside — only to have the patient die a day before the plan could be executed, officials said.

"We all felt a great deal of sadness," Gallagher said. "We want to have a safe environment, but we also want to make sure patients get the support they need."

Task force members had to address a wide range of scenarios that could interfere with patient care or potentially damage the hospital's reputation.

What if someone brings a boa constrictor or a Bengal tiger? What if a roommate objects? And, what if there's an accident?

The answers can all be found on the 21-item checklist: Only dogs and cats are allowed. Everyone must consent to the visit, including the attending physician. And any soiling will be disposed of and cleaned up by the pet handler, followed by environmental services sanitizing the area.

Other requirements include proof of rabies vaccination, no interaction with other patients and a bath and brushing for the animal before the visit.

Gallagher is old enough to remember other once-sacred hospital rules that have fallen by the wayside, such as not allowing fathers in delivery rooms or visiting hours that were strictly enforced.

"All those changes happened . and the sky didn't fall," she said, adding that she expects the same positive outcomes with four-footed visitors.

However, the skeptics needed more. So the task force reached out to large institutions that already had a successful pet visitation program — such as the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the University of Maryland Medical Center.

At Iowa, the "Furry Friends" program has been in place since 2000 without a single incident, according to Jean Reed, director of volunteer services.

"It's a win-win all around — not just for the patient, but for the staff and the family, who frequently feel powerless," Reed said.

No one had to convince Slesinski-Evans, an assistant payroll supervisor at Tootsie Roll Industries. She was diagnosed in 2010 and has been in and out of Rush, including her current hospitalization for pain management, which began Jan. 28.

When a nurse noticed photos of Slesinski-Evans' three dogs, she informed the patient of the new pet policy. Less than 48 hours later, in strolled Sadie, blithely unaware of her trailblazer status.

"Dogs are just like people," Slesinski-Evans. "They have thoughts, feelings, they love to be cuddled. You can get mad at them and yell at them and still, their love is constant."

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The mother of three and grandmother of four has made provisions in her will for the care of Sadie and her other two pets, a collie and an Australian sheepdog.

When it was all over, the patient said she felt "great joy" — as did Gallagher.

"We went through multiple revisions, but it was worth every minute. What we wanted was a Kodak moment."

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